• Photo Gallery 1, courtesy SGT John Healy
• Photo Gallery 2, courtesy SSG Jonathan Hoover
• B-Roll Video Footage, courtesy SGT Elliott Valdez
• Press Release: Courtesy SGT John Healy
• Photo Gallery: Kurt Mogonye, TSU

STEPHENVILLE, Texas—For the first time in program history, the Tarleton State University football team broke from their preseason training routine and held camp alongside U.S. Army soldiers at nearby Fort Hood.
 
The entire Texan football squad, coaching staff and athletic training crew departed the Tarleton campus Aug. 18, trading their home practice field for the mock battlefields of the sprawling, 200,000-acre military post.  The Texans teamed up with soldiers assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment "Black Knights" who led them in leadership and team-building exercises.
 
The training camp at Fort Hood was the first time any NCAA Division II football program collaborated with the U.S. Army, and second only to Division I Syracuse University holding camp at Fort Drum in upstate New York.  
 
Tarleton Head Coach Cary Fowler, who was raised in a military household, wants Tarleton football to begin a new tradition, "Camp Hood," by returning each year.  The idea of taking his team off campus to train without distractions and alongside Fort Hood's soldiers occurred to Fowler a year ago.  The intent was to form a close-knit team, armed with newfound leadership and teamwork skills— not just for the upcoming season, but to last a lifetime.
 
The Texans, who head into their 2014 campaign as Lone Star Conference favorites and the No. 17-ranked program in the nation, took up residency at North Fort Hood near Gatesville. They stayed in the post's barracks and dined alongside soldiers in the mess halls. Fowler removed distractions—cell phones, the Internet and cable television— to allow his team to bond, and for the seniors to get to know the newest members of the squad.
 
From day one, the Texan football squad divided time between football preparations and marching with former drill sergeants who exposed the team to simulated basic training. Providing hands-on coaching and mentoring, Fort Hood soldiers gave the student-athletes a taste of Army life, serving up MREs in the field as part of their first night on base.
 
The Texans visited Fort Hood's Leadership Reaction Course where they navigated a set of 15 obstacles, received a few rudimentary training aids and were given a mission to complete. The course was incorporated into the camp to "force teamwork, and enforce formulating and execution of the plan with a set of orders, in an effort to accomplish the mission," explained III Corps Public Affairs Officer Master Sgt. Nicholas Conner, the Fort Hood liaison who was assigned to facilitate the camp.
 
Conner organized a visit to Fort Hood's Warrior Skills Training Center where the team spent an afternoon using the high-tech, virtual battlefield complete with large-scale convoy 3D video game simulators and a tactical shoot house.
 
Conner said he hoped the student-athletes would walk away with a better understanding of the Army profession. "To expose this football team to our profession and our way of life and our values, I think that it resonates with what Coach Fowler is trying to do with the Tarleton program," he said. "Leadership values are leadership values, core values are core values, whether you're in the military or a student-athlete.
 
"It still boils down to honesty, integrity, leadership, courage and self sacrifice … all of these things that will take these young men and polish them for excellence. I firmly believe in core values and that you're going to get a better student or athlete, a better soldier, brother, father and citizen. That's where it starts. Core values, they're universal," Conner added.
 
The experience was an eye-opener for many team members, including freshman wide receiver JaMarquis Durst. "Getting to my know my teammates during camp … now we know when we step on the field that it's just like being in war. And just like the Army's soldiers, I know that they have my back just like I have theirs," he said after the second day.
 
"My thoughts about (camp) were very different than before we came onto base. We rise before sun-up and are still in meetings after sunset, and we even stand at attention and stop what we're doing when the bugle plays. It's just like being in the Army."
 
Fowler hopes to build on the leadership and teamwork skills each year.  "I told our players that we are going to be with the greatest team in the world, the U.S. military.  To witness these student-athletes see the soldiers who chose to be in the military, just as they chose to play college football and be part of a team, is to actually see being part of something bigger than themselves."
 
Fowler noted that the military focuses on the team, without individual statistics. "For us to be able to see that and understand that everybody has a vital role, no matter where you think you are, you play a vital role as a team member. It's not about you; it's about what you did for your teammate."
 
The experience was humbling for some, including first-year offensive lineman Chris Gibbens, as the team dined and shared stories with soldiers of the same age who are preparing to deploy for combat. "We look at it as going to camp for one week, but they're here training to leave for 15 months without the ability to contact their family and friends. It's a reality check…"
 
Fowler instructed the student-athletes to keep journals about their experience. He hopes to incorporate their reflections and feedback to develop next year's training camp, improve team camaraderie and ultimately improve the Tarleton football program.
 
"We are forever grateful to Fort Hood and their soldiers. They opened their doors and were willing and excited to help our kids and coaches grow," said Fowler. "I've learned so much this week and want to thank them for teaching us to be part of something bigger than we'll ever be, and for being part of a great team.
 
The experience created "a new sense of excitement heading into this season," Fowler said. "I wanted to do things that were pertinent to our team: improved leadership and better accountability, and these young men have definitely embraced it."
 
As the Texan team prepared to pack and clean their barracks a final time, Master Sgt. Conner said he was excited about Tarleton being the inaugural test-run. "Really, the big thing for Coach Fowler was to expose his players to a culture they're not normally accustomed to," he said, noting that adaptability is a key factor in missions both on the battlefield and the gridiron.
 
"We've given them a fun camp, something to build memories and something very worthwhile. It's a win-win for us and for Tarleton football."
 
Tarleton State University, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow's professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to engage societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.